Officials said Chastyakov received a gift box that contained alcohol and six grenades.
Kyiv, Ukraine CNN —
An aide to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian military was killed after receiving a live grenade as a birthday present, which was immediately detonated by his 13-year-old son.
Major Gennadiy Chastyakov, who served as Valery Zaluzhny’s assistant, received a gift box containing several “Western-model” grenades from a colleague for his birthday on Monday, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on Telegram.
Chastyakov’s 13-year-old son then took one of the grenades and began spinning the ring, Klymenko wrote. When Chastyakov took the grenade from him, the ring was pulled out and the weapon exploded.
Zaluzhny, the head of the Ukrainian military, wrote on Telegram that his “assistant and close friend” died “under tragic circumstances.”
Police found five more unexploded grenades in the apartment, Klymenko said.
Kiev regional police reported that the assistant’s son was seriously injured in the explosion and is receiving medical treatment.
According to Klymenko, police identified the “fellow soldier” who gave Chastyakov the gift and found two similar grenades during a search of his office.
Police said a criminal case had been opened and an investigation was underway. However, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry later said it considered the death an “accident” based on preliminary information.
“From the information we have now, we can say that it was an accident and negligent handling of ammunition,” Mariana Reva, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry, said on national television.
“It is possible that the case will be reclassified based on the evidence collected.”
The gift “was in the form of a box containing a bottle of alcohol and six grenades,” Reva said.
She said that the colleague “presented these grenades to a colleague and pointed out that the grenades were combat grenades.”
“Unfortunately, the deceased did not take these words seriously,” Reva added.
Klymenko supported Zaluzhny when the military chief led Ukrainian troops in the war with Russia.
Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto/Getty Images/File
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny said his assistant was a “close friend.”
“From the beginning of the all-out invasion, (Gennadiy) was a reliable shoulder for me and completely dedicated his life to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the fight against Russian aggression,” the military chief wrote on Telegram.
The assistant had a wife and four children; In addition to the son’s injuries, Reva said his daughter also suffered minor injuries.
Zaluzhny has been in a public disagreement in recent days with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who disputed his commander-in-chief’s characterization of the state of war.
Zaluzhny told The Economist that “we have reached the level of technology that puts us in a stalemate” and that “most likely there will not be a deep and beautiful breakthrough,” something Zelensky’s office quickly dismissed.